The 2025 Low-Stakes Debate from MPR News: Because even in a non-election year, everyone has an opinion about everything
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MPR News presents The 2025 Low-Stakes Debate, because even in a non-election year, everyone has an opinion about everything.
Event details
MPR Booth at the Minnesota State Fair
Judson Ave, Falcon Heights, MN
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 28
About the Event
Pronto pups or corn dogs? Ye Old Mill or Mouse Trap? Crop art or Fine Arts Building? These are the sorts of debates that arise every year at the Minnesota State Fair.
Usually, they are relegated to family squabbles or friendly banter. But this year, we bring them to the Minnesota Public Radio stage and put them in front of two folks – one a Republican, one a Democrat, and both co-hosts of the podcast “Wrong About Everything” – for an entertaining debate about things that absolutely don’t matter.
And then we will judge them for it.
So, what state fair topics have caught your eye this year, or year’s past? Do you feel strongly for certain fair foods over others?
Turn Up Your Support
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We’re inviting you to chime in. Please submit your debate topic below. And, full disclosure, neither debater will see submitted topics — so neither party will know what topic or side will be theirs to defend in typical debate club fashion.
Debaters
Amy Koch is a former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader and a conservative strategist at Hylden Advocacy and Law. Javier Morillo is a former labor organizer and progressive strategist.
Together, they co-host a political podcast together called “Wrong About Everything,” an irreverent politics show where they pick apart some of the hardest subjects that divide the country.
Moderator
A familiar voice, former MPR host, a political junkie and now retired Mike Mulcahy will keep the debaters in check throughout the event. Mulcahy is an experienced moderator himself, having hosted a number of debates over his career.
Mulcahy served as MPR’s senior politics editor and hosted MPR’s Politics Friday.
